Vessels entering Australian territory must comply with requirements under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
Australian legislative requirements
Under the Act, aircraft and vessels (including those from Australia) become subject to biosecurity control upon entering 12 nautical miles of the Australian mainland or Australia’s external territories.
All international vessels that are sailed, motored or towed through the 12NM limit and enter Australian territory are subject to pre-arrival reporting, pratique, assessment and inspection at a first point of entry on arrival.
Note: Granting pratique is not required for vessels arriving into Norfolk Island that have travelled from Australian territory, and vice versa, per Biosecurity (Human Health) Regulation 2016 (Human Health Regulations) Ch6.
Vessel masters and shipping agents representing commercial vessels, including cruise vessels travelling between Australian mainland, the external territories, and between external territories are required to lodge pre-arrival reporting via the Maritime and Aircraft Reporting System (MARS).
For information about how to meet pre-arrival reporting requirements, visit the Vessels webpage.
Australian territory
You will need to meet our biosecurity requirements (under the Biosecurity Act) if you visit:
- Australia
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Norfolk Island
- the airspace and the coastal sea of these areas which generally extends to 12 NM (approx. 25kms).
Pre-arrival reporting for certain Australian External Territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Island
In accordance with section 193 of the Act, commercial vessel operators intending to enter the external territories and/or move between external territories and mainland Australia must report to the department between 96 and 12 hours before the estimated time of arrival of the vessel. Failure to give a report containing the information required may contravene subsection 193(4) of the Act.
For commercial voyages ‘originating’ outside of Australian Territory, including movements between Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and/or Norfolk Island and mainland Australian, vessel operators must report using the Maritime and Aircraft Reporting System (MARS). Further support materials on MARS are available by contacting conveyance.maritime@aff.gov.au.
Australian external territories not considered Australian Territory
For the purposes of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (except for ballast water and sediment, Chapter 5) the Australian external territories not considered Australian Territory are collectively referred to as Australian External Territories (AETNCAT). These territories include:
- Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island
- Coral Sea Islands (Willis Island)
- Macdonald and Heard Island
- the Australian Antarctic territory.
All goods and conveyances from these AETNCAT Territories are subject to biosecurity control (STBC) under the Act unless specified elsewhere.
AETNCAT Locations
The following image indicates the locations of the AETNCAT relative to the Australian mainland.
How to report
Commercial vessels travelling between Australian territory, Norfolk Island and the Indian Ocean Territories are required to lodge a Pre-Arrival Report (PAR) into MARS using a different voyage number.
Non-commercial vessel reporting
Notification of pending non-commercial vessel arrival is required to be submitted via email or verbally. Refer to the Non-commercial vessel arrival biosecurity reporting - yachts and private superyachts webpage.
The Australian external territories not considered Australian Territory (AETNCAT) ports are available in the dropdown list of Last ports in MARS or in the PAR offline form. When submitting a pre-arrival reporting into MARS, commercial vessel operators must select an AETNCAT port as the last port prior to arriving in Australian waters.
The following examples outlines reporting requirements for pre-arrival reporting between offshore territories for commercial vessels including cruise vessels:
| Voyage Number | Ports of Call | Pre-arrival reporting |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | Brisbane to Norfolk Island | Yes (Exempt from Pratique) |
| 1B | Norfolk Island to Fremantle | Yes (Exempt from Pratique) |
| 2A | Fremantle to Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Yes |
| 2B | Cocos (Keeling) Islands to Christmas Island | Yes |
| 2C | Christmas Island to Fremantle | Yes |
Biosecurity and the movement of goods and conveyances
From AETNCAT territories to Australian Territory
The Act applies to people, goods and conveyances travelling from AETNCAT territories to Australian Territory in a similar manner to the way the Act applies to the arrival of international goods and conveyances into Australian Territory. Each part of regulated Australian Territory (for the purposes of the Act) has different import conditions for goods. Refer to BICON.
To AETNCAT territories
There are no regulations or restrictions under the Act relating to the movement of goods and conveyances or for the regulation of human health from Australian Territory or any other countries to AETNCAT territories.
| AETNCAT | Goods | Conveyances (vessels and aircraft) | Transiting vessels (cruise vessels) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Australian Antarctic Territory |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. Australian Border Force (ABF) requires all cargo from the Australian Antarctic Territory to be reported via the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
|
|
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. Australian Border Force (ABF) requires all cargo from the Australian Antarctic Territory to be reported via the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
|
|
Coral Sea Islands Territory (including Willis Island) |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia Exclusions exist where the vessel returning from Ashmore Reef and Cartier islands is a Maritime Border Command (MBC) or ABF vessel |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. ABF requires all cargo from Willis Island to be reported via the ICS |
Exempt |
|
Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Territory |
Pre-arrival reporting is not required where the vessel returning from Ashmore Reef and Cartier islands is a Maritime Border Command (MBC) or ABF vessel |
Exempt |
Commonwealth Government legal provisions
The relevant provisions of an Act for government of these external territories as an Australian Territory are:
| Location | Provisions of an Act for government of a territory |
|---|---|
| Australian Antarctic Territory | s 8 of the Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954 |
| Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | s 7 of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953 |
| Coral Sea Islands (including Willis Island) | s 6(1) of the Coral Sea Islands Act 1969 |
| Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Territory | s 8 of the Ashmore and Cartier Island Acceptance Act 1933 |
Check territory administrator requirements on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications Australian territories webpage.